Soooo, a few buddies and me are heading out to Chesapeake Light on Sunday. It is 18 miles roundtrip, and the fuel economy I found online for a '97 GTX with the 787 is showing a 71-mile range at WOT of 55mph.
A. I'm sure this was a brand new engine estimate. Mine runs great with 152 compression a side, and it wasn't an exact reading but it seemed like I ran a half tank on 19.5 miles this weekend.
B. I am not against bringing me a small fuel can with an extra gallon or two, just really don't want to use up free space if I am definitely not going to need it.
C. We are not going to be running 55mph WOT out there and back, so on paper I look good on fuel mileage. However, I don't want to get half-way out there and see that we need to turn back.
I guess bottom line I am looking for some no BS bottom line numbers of anybody riding a stock 95-97 GTX from anybody that has checked their mileage/consumption accurately. Any input is appreciated!
http://www.seadoosource.com/fueleconomy.html
i'm not sure I understand your concerns,, 18 miles round trip is nothing.
the figures are accurate..., or at least within acceptable tolerances i've checked, sure you'll do better if you don't run wot but you are talking no more than 10-15%, don't be planning 80+ mile trips with this ski w/o extra fuel, but 50 mile trips? all day long
a) if you ran 19 miles on a half a tank(ish) why would you think 18 will be too far
b) see A)
c) see A) you won't run out 9 miles into the trip...
you should get approximately 60 miles minimum, absolute minimum, 70 is a realistic minimum but reasonable to expect, if you were planning a trip that was 60 miles or more, i'd suggest extra gas for sure, if your trip is 50 or less, absolutely nothing to worry about.
so even if your OP was a typo and you meant to say its 18 miles 1 way, there is still no concern IMO unless you plan on running a lengthy side trip. i've made many 40 mile runs with a 787, riding pretty dam hard and always used less than 9 gallons.
with that said,,, doesn't this model have a mini storage bin under the rear seat , just about the right size for a 2 gallon can ? in addition to a monster size storage bin up front that you could put a body in ? (all your other stuff?)
if there is absolutely any doubt... i'd say, throw 2 gallons in the rear storage, and when you get to your destination, or your first water brake after a few miles, dump it into your tank just for good measure, and then you won't be running around with 2 gallons of gas in the rear... then when you get back, on the way home top off your tank and you'll know exactly how much you used, which will be an indicator for next time, and i can safely say that you won't bring those 2 gallons again since you found that you had plenty of extra fuel.
I do track mileage / gps / and with my 787 i generally get between 4.5 and 5.5 miles to the gallon, depending on ride conditions and how many times i pin the throttle. In theory, you'll use less than half of your 15 gallon tank even if you ride the full ride, do some side trips and goof off when you get there... heck, i'd make that ride with a 9 gallon tank w/o hesitation...
lastly, don't worry about those figures using a "brand new" engine, the figures won't change more than 5-10% no matter what.
side note: I love that link, and i've used it before, for the same reasons you posted this, I rode with a 9 gallon tank for the last 18 months until a couple of weeks ago, so trust me, fuel was a constant concern, every ride was based on "how far can i go w/o heading into that danger zone)
but...
but I would like to question the top speed figures.. I've never been on a bone stock gtx that would hit 55 mph on my gps, the limiteds would hit that and have some to spare, but not the 787's.
have you hit 55 on your GTX with a gps ? i generally ran from 49-52 tops, but this is also florida, 9 months out of the year we do run slower, lots of moisture in the air here.
